Death rate

Question 1

past death reasons

Answer 1

1850-1970 - death decline because of infectious diseases
1950+ - cancer, heart attacks

Question 2

improved nutrition

Answer 2

• account for up to half of reduction of deaths
• increased resistance and survival chances
• however doesn’t explain why females who receive smaller portions of family supply live longer than males
• doesn’t explain why some diseases (measles,diarrhoea) rose at time of improved nutrition

Question 3

medical improvements

Answer 3

• before 1950 medical improvements played no part in reduction of deaths
• after 1950 improved medical knowledge, techniques, organisations help reduce death rate: intro to antibiotics, blood transfusions, improved maternity services

Question 4

smoking and diet

Answer 4

• reduction of deaths is because of reduction of smokers
• 21st century - obesity replaces smoking as new lifestyle
• 2012 - 1 quarter of uk were obese
• deaths of obesity kept low as result of drug therapy
• moving to ‘american’ health culture where lifestyles are unhealthy but have long lifespan because of medication

Question 5

public health services

Answer 5

• government introduced many improve to of health services and quality of environment:
• housing(direr, ventilated, less crowned)
• purer drinking water
• sewage disposal methods
• Clean Air Acts reduced air pollution (smog) which led to 4000 deaths in 1950s

Question 6

life expectancy

Answer 6

• how long on a average a person born in given year can expect to live
• as death rate declines, life expectancy increases
• 1900 - males = 50, females = 57
• 2013 - males = 90.7, females = 94
• 1900 life expectancy - children did not survive beyond early years
• new born today more chance of reaching 65 than baby reaching 1st bday in 1900
• we can reach radical longevity (live over 100)

Question 7

class, gender, regional differences

Answer 7

• differences in women and men, however narrowed due to changed in employment and lifestyle
• those in both england have lower expectancy than those in south
• w/c men in unskilled jobs 3x likely to die before 65 compared to professional jobs
• those in poorest parts of england die on average 7 years earlier than those in richest parts of england